Sergei Polunin isn’t your traditional ballet dancer. He’s scattered with ink and scars; haunted by a past of club drugs and partying; remembered for walking out of performances; and infamous for his 2012 decision to quit the Royal Ballet. Unconventionally handsome with ice blue eyes and stark white skin, he was the dance world’s tortured headliner for years, before becoming an international phenomenon in 2015 thanks to a raw, David LaChapelle-directed performance to Hozier’s Take Me to Church and 2016 documentary, Dancer. 

Bringing his uniquely emotive stylings to the Auckland Arts Festival this March, Polunin will join classical ballerina Natalia Osipova in her first-ever commissioned show, Natalia Osipova & Guests. ‘Visceral, emotional intensity blended with impressive technical excellence’ as put by the Huffington Post, the performance will see the famed Osipova — who has trained with The Bolshoi, American Ballet Theatre and The Royal Ballet — take to the stage for an incredible display of modern dance, where she will be joined by Polunin, and fellow dancers Jason Kittelberger and James O’Hara throughout the night.

A powerful evening with four of the finest performers of our time, tickets to the March 24th, 25th and 26th shows are set to sell out, so be sure to snap up your tickets, here.